Sweet Khurma

Khurma is a sweet made usually in the Terai areas of Nepal. It is also one of the popular items made by the Marwari community in Nepal. There are many shapes and sizes in which it is found and also have varied names for their varied sizes. However, the taste is similar and the process of making it is more or less the same. It is used mostly as a snack or as something to be offered to the guests with snacks and tea. One of the popular sweets among the children, khurma can be used as a tasty tit-bit to be had with tea.

The process of making khurma might seem lengthy, however, the result is worth the effort and also the fact that it can be stored for many days makes the effort worthwhile.

Ingredients:

Maida (all purpose flour)

Ghee (clarified butter)

Sugar

Sunflower oil for deep frying

Water as required

Procedure:

First of all, take a mixing bowl and put the all purpose flour into it. Add the clarified butter and mix it well. Keep kneading it until the flour changes color to light yellow from white. When that happens, sprinkle some water and knead it into dough. Now, take some amount of the dough and using a long flat pira (small wooden flat bench-like structure made for sitting while eating on the floor), flatten it. Add some ghee to the surface in order to avoid it from sticking to the pira. Don’t make it too thin or too thick and when the desired breadth is acquired, cut the flattened dough into the shape of a khurma (it is usually small one inch rectangle) or any other shape you desire.

Repeat it with the remaining dough.

Now, heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is heated, add the khurmas one by one into the oil and deep fry it. Don’t let it stick together and when it starts to change color, take it out. Repeat it with remaining dough. In another pan, heat sugar and make a thick pak (hot sugar liquid). When all the khurmas are done, add them to the pak and mix well. Mix thoroughly until the pak turns white and sticks to the khurmas. Your khurma is ready to serve. You can also reserve it in an airtight container for later use but do not refrigerate it.